GR-93 SAN MILLAN DE COGOLLA TO ANGUIANO HIKE

November 24, 2016July 5, 2020

So we left off with us making the decision to go home, and we were waiting for the bus in San Millan. And waiting. And, guess what? No bus appeared. Either we were in the wrong spot, or the online bus schedule was wrong, but it was clear there was no option but to walk to Anguiano, and catch the bus from there as originally planned. I’m not gonna lie, at this point I was pretty nervous. I stretched and thought about crying and finally decided to pretend I was on The Challenge and just power through.

On the bright side the bus stop was right by the monastery, which was so pretty in the morning.

We had a huge day ahead of us, so we prepared with a huge breakfast. This slightly improved my mood, as did the chocolate Gareth started forcing me to eat at random intervals. And I am SO glad we did the second day. Yes, by the end I was limping along, positive I had irreparably damaged my knee, but the second day was so gorgeous. We walked through the forest for a few hours, and didn’t see a single other person. We walked on a mountain rim, and saw an amazing mountain pass, with a path through it. Probably we’ll need to come back one day to climb it, because it was incredible.

After about four hours of walking we passed a town that had a bar that was miraculously open, and we stopped and had a snack and a glass of wine. Then we walked about five more minutes and saw a trail marker. I ran up to it, sure we had another hour or two at most, because I was naive, and the wine had improved my view of the world. I found that we were halfway. Halfway.

There’s no picture of this marker because honestly, the discovery stung a bit. We’d been taking it slow because of my knee and suddenly I was worried we were going to miss our bus back to Logroño. But the next hour or so was all on flat ground, and we passed through a town and then walked on a (really pretty) street for quite a while. It was a nice break, and still really gorgeous.

Eventually Anguiano was in sight, but not before the path led us up a long and winding mountain. It was really incredible–we could see the trees with all their colors everywhere, the village across the river, and there were cows EVERYWHERE. Up until this point we had encountered many a cow, but always with enough room to just casually (or frantically, if you are me and not Gareth) walk by them. But now we were on a MUCH narrower path and there were about five cows just chilling along the way. We tried to herd them a bit before G climbed up a trail behind them and dropped a rock down. (To be clear NOT on them, just so the noise disturbed them and they moseyed away.) Then we were on the real and actual final stretch. We had to walk back down the mountain which was the final straw for my knee. Before the descent, however, there was a marker saying only 2 kilometers left, which gave me the motivation I needed to get it done. THAT SAID, that marker is a huge lie and it was much, much more than 2K. Just FYI. I commandeered a stick as a crutch and hobbled along like a crippled 90 year old woman. Also I slipped and fell in mud/possibly poo hahaha. So imagine how amazing this trek was that I was STILL amazed by the beauty and so happy to be there.

At the end of the final trail there was a gate to the bridge that would let us cross the river into town. We were done, except for the last cow in our way. Gareth went to herd it and discovered that no, it was not a cow. IT WAS A BULL. He attempted to tell me this in a calm and reassuring manner, which my brain interpreted as him calmly telling me to GTFO of there. So in about .5 seconds I had slid between the fence that was keeping us all in and was dangling on the mountain ledge. G walked over, asked WHAT I was doing and if I would please come out so we could carry on walking. Oops. In reality this guy seemed way less interested in us than any of the cows were. That said, Gareth and I have made some cow enemies over the years…

Anyway, we went through the gate, into safety, across the bridge, and INTO ANGUIANO!

The bus stop back to Logroño is right by the bridge and there was a bar about a minute farther down the road. Again it wasn’t a time they were serving any food, but it was the only place open. So they offered to make us some bocadillos, and we played cards and drank wine for a few hours until our bus. It was pretty excellent.

I cannot recommend this hike enough. It was INCREDIBLY gorgeous, had a seriously diverse landscape–sometimes we were in mountains, sometimes in the forest, by a river, or passing through a small village. Other than our start, mid, and end points, we only saw four other people the entire time, and they were all working on the land. We had the entire trail to ourselves, and that was as amazing as it sounds.

Pertinent Information:

It was SUPER well marked, though we did get lost once and it was pretty much the worst. We had just spent about 45 minutes going down a long, winding road to the bottom of a mountain. And then the trail seemed to be taking us straight back up, just on a direct/steeper trail. I was so sure it was a shortcut to get down to where we were from the top, but G ran ahead on the road we were on and there wasn’t another marker anywhere nearby us. So we took the incredibly steep trail, which led us… back where we started. It was pretty disheartening. We debated going back down the long, easy way, but I couldn’t imagine sinking another 45 minutes into it, and we were back down the steep path in about 20 minutes. And discovered the trail continued straight ahead, behind the road we had been on. We didn’t think to look down the edge of the road, but that’s where the next marker was. BUT other than that, we didn’t miss a beat and I can’t get over these trails Spain just has built in everywhere, no maps needed!

The buses to/from Logroño and Anguiano were super easy. We bought the tickets on each bus, and slept during the rides. The way there was about an hour and fifteen minutes and the way back was 45. I have no clue what the bus situation in San Millan is, and if you figure it out please let me know!

GR-93 EZCARAY TO SAN MILLAN DE COGOLLA HIKE

November 23, 2016July 5, 20202 Comments

A few weeks ago Gareth came back to Logroño so we could work on our new goal to do all the best hike in northern Spain, this time by doing a few days of the GR-93. I heard about this route before coming to Spain and it was at the top of my list because it was supposed to offer amazing views with tons of fall foliage–basically all this New England girl could ever want. Spoiler alert, it delivered.

The portion we would be doing would start from Ezcaray, with a night in San Millan de Cogolla, and the bus back to Logroño from Anguiano.

GR 93 EZCARAY TO SAN MILLAN DE COGOLLA routa

day one

GR 93 SAN MILLAN DE COGOLLA to Anguiano routa

day two

We left Logroño Friday morning on the only early bus (6:45 am) and we arrived in Ezcaray at 7:30 am. It was dark. It was FREEZING. Apparently it’s much colder in Ezcaray than the surrounding areas, which on the plus side means come winter there’s skiing, and on the terrible side means we were dropped off on the outskirts of a freezing, empty, dark town. Guys it was so cold. We walked the most intuitive way, and ended up in the town center. No food places were open yet, but there was a tiny shop open that served coffee and tea. We went inside and pooled all the clothes we had to try to warm up (read, I stole every article of clothing Gareth wasn’t wearing, and one he was). We had tea, watched Spanish news tear into Trump, and then when the sun came out and a few other shops opened, left to find breakfast. Also in the light of day this was one of the prettiest little villages I’ve seen so far.

The great thing about this hike, and all Spanish hikes I’ve experienced thus far, is that they are all very well marked with paint. This route was red and white, and it became a game (though not a fun one because my competition was not nearly on my level), to see the markers first.

can you spot the marker?

The first day was amazing. We basically hiked up a mountain, down a mountain, walked through the town, and back up the next mountain. Did anyone else, as a kid, ever see mountains or hills in the distance and really want to climb them just to see what was on the other side? That’s what this was like. And these villages… I honestly didn’t know people lived in villages so small. I’m still not sure they DO because we never actually saw any people in the smallest ones. To be honest, we didn’t see many people in the larger ones either. It was strange. We didn’t prepare well, and only had a little bit of food for the journey, so every time we did see a person we asked if there was anywhere to buy any food and the answer was always no. Even in San Millan de Cogolla, the much more populated village where we spent the night, the nearest supermarket was 5 kilometers from town. What!

Right at the end of the first day, my knee started hurting. I injured in a million years ago doing gymnastics, and we have worked out a deal where basically if I don’t use it, it won’t bother me. So I don’t do lunges or high impact activities, and it pretends it’s a fully functioning knee. But descending five different mountains in about six hours was pretty much its breaking point, and I hobbled the rest of the way into San Millan.

San Millan, it has to be said, is COMPLETELY gorgeous. The walk in is along a river and a really cool stone wall/orchard. The village is fairly big, and has a few different monasteries (one of which houses the first record of written Spanish), and we saw more than five people just out and about, which is a real crowd in smaller Spanish villages. You might say San Millan was hoppin’. (But you shouldn’t because it was still only about five people.)

In my research I couldn’t find anywhere in San Millan to stay, but I found a few options on airbnb in Berceo, which was only 1.5 kilometers away. The only downside is you have to walk down a fairly busy street, which was fine during the day, but after seeing the way people were whipping by at night, and how dark it was, we played it safe and had dinner at the one restaurant in Berceo instead of heading back to San Millan.

Berceo kind of freaked me out at first. There was no one around. Small Spanish villages often feel like ghost towns, or like you accidentally just wandered into Roanoke. Add to that the fact that there was nowhere to buy any sort of groceries or pharmacy related items, my knee was killing me, we were trapped and couldn’t safely get to San Millan, I started feeling like we were in a horror movie. We found the one dinner place, and were two of about four patrons there when we arrived at 8:00. They told us the kitchen wasn’t open yet, because this is Spain and 8:00 pm is still way too early for dinner, but they were super nice and gave us snacks while we waited.

So we played cards–side note, the most common deck of cards here only has 40 cards in a pack! There aren’t any face cards, and the whole thing is pretty confusing. We invented a bastardized version of golf, drank some more wine (which helped me switch from thinking we were in a horror movie to a tiny romantic village), and by the time the first of our three courses arrived, I was feeling much better.

Better mentally that is, physically my knee was at about a code red/black. Whichever is worse. We went to sleep knowing that we might not be able to continue the next day, and planned to walk to the bus stop in San Millan to assess how I felt and potentially go back to Logroño. There were only two buses from San Millan, one in the morning and one at night, and the smaller villages we were passing through didn’t even have people, let alone bus service. So we woke up early, walked to the bus stop assessed. I decided I was being insane and if I could barely walk for five minutes, a seven hour hike up and down a bunch of mountains was a terrible idea. The bus however, had other plans!

How to Move Your Cat or Dog from the US to Spain (and how much it costs)

October 28, 2016July 5, 2020

I think any travel obsessed pet owner has wondered at some point or another how complicated it would be to move their cat or dog abroad with them. When I decided to move to Spain I knew there wasn’t a chance I’d be willing to leave Brady behind for an entire year, so I dipped my toe into research to see just how tough it would be to get him a pet visa to Europe. And despite my fears that it would be incredibly complicated, it was actually much easier than I had imagined. There are three main steps.

1. First up was his rabies vaccination and international compliant microchip (ISO). The vaccination for cats has be done at least 21 full days before traveling to the EU, but can be no more than a year old. Make sure the vet you go to has experience dealing with international travel requirements/paperwork. Cost: Appointment: $45, vaccination: $19.50, ISO chip: $55.

2. Second vet visit has to happen within ten days of travel. During this visit, the vet fills out your pet’s health certificate. Vet visit: $65, health certificate around $80.

3. This health certificate then has to be brought to the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) to be certified. It was easy driving distance for me, but I’d imagine if you’re far away you could overnight it (I’d call to make sure, obvs). In LA they were really helpful when I called. ($20)

The surprisingly hardest part of all was finding a flight that would allow a pet in the cabin internationally. I automatically booked through American, because I’ve flown with Brady on two round trip flights with them before. However when I called to book him in, I found out they don’t let animals in the cabin on transatlantic flights, and I’d have to fly him in cargo. I started freaking out because of the millions of pets in cargo horror stories I’m sure we’ve all heard, but before I could really process this they took me off hold and told me it didn’t matter anyway, because the day I was flying the weather would be too hot for any animals to be permitted in cargo, regardless. She said pretty much any flights around then would be (and this was mid/late September). The cost of a pet ticket was $100.

I spent a few hours wondering how anyone moves cats or dogs abroad in the physical sense. If it’s still too hot in September, it must be too cold pretty soon after. Also, they’re stuck in cargo! Then I heard Lufthansa allows small pets in the cabin on international flights, as does United and Swiss. I had Ultimate Rewards Miles that could be transferred to all of them, so into research mode I went. Swiss made the most sense with my schedule, so we had a nice little layover in Zurich before landing in Madrid.

Now that we’re here, the last thing I’m unclear on is if I need to get him a kitty passport in Spain. That’s what is used within the EU, and I’m not sure if his documentation expires at any point. I’m pretty sure if I ever want to take him to the UK, who are a bit more strict, he’ll need one. I also have to look up what I’ll need to do to move him back to the states, if that’s where I end up once the program is over.

Obviously do your own research because requirements can change, but this is a good starting point for what the process will look like, and a good price estimate. It ended up costing more than I expected ($384.50 total), but was so so so worth it.

Ruta del Cares

October 25, 2016July 5, 20201 Comment

The highlight of our Asturian road trip was the Ruta del Cares. We spent the day before seeing the Covadonga Lakes and Mirador del Fitu. We spent the night in Las Arenas – though the trail starts in Poncebos, I had a hard time finding accommodation there, so we stayed the next town over. We woke up at like 7am (before the entirety of Las Arenas/the sun), and drove the 15 minutes to the start of the hike. Again there was another free parking lot at the start of the trail. We had coffee/tea at a restaurant/hotel that was right there, and then we were on our way!

The hike was amazing. It was like being in another world, just up on the edge of a mountain. We started really early so we only passed a few other people on the way.

It is high. There’s really no getting around that, much as I hated it. But if you stay on the inside of the trail, you can’t really see the drop off, and it feels pretty okay. The biggest problem was on the way back, when we were on the outside and virtually none of the couples we passed would separate long enough to let us pass by without being forced to the very edge of the cliff. Tip: if you are on a narrow path with a million foot drop off, detach from your SO long enough to let the people on the outside comfortably pass. It’s basic human decency.

The trail is meant to be 3 hours each way, but we did it in 2.5 there and 2.75 back without trying too hard. The very beginning is the only real elevation, so it’s a pretty steep 20 minute climb. This was harder on the way down because it’s really easy to skid and the consequences of falling are pretty much life ending. So slower was good at that part, but after that bit the walk was flat and super easy.

The route is from Asturias to Castilla y Leon, and ends at a tiny, tiny pueblo called Caín. It’s a few houses, I think four restaurants that cater to hikers, and a gift shop that looks pretty stuck in time. We got there before lunch, and had to wait for about an hour for any food to be ready. But then we got to have our second menu del dia of the trip, and man am I obsessed. You basically get bread, two large/medium sized plates, water/coffee/tea, dessert, and a BOTTLE OF WINE for like 10 euros. They have this in Logroño but it’s like twice as expensive so not as cost effective as pincho hopping.

After a big meal and a half a bottle of wine each, we headed back. This time it was much busier because the after lunch crowd all left around the same time, but even though it took longer it felt much faster. Maybe because of all the wine?

Notes for other people with a very rational fear of heights… there are only two points that really freaked me out–the two bridges. One is where the path has kind of given way. It’s really short and you can be over it in about 5 seconds, but there’s a point where the bottom is a grate you can look through the get a clear idea of how very heigh you are. I would suggest not looking. The second bridge was way worse because you cross from one side to the other and that is long and really high and I didn’t enjoy it one bit. Otherwise, if you stick to the inside you can virtually never see the drop and can pretend it doesn’t exist.

We finished the hike, and started the long drive back to Logroño. Did you know that road tolls in Spain are like 20 euros every time? Because we did not and that is something worth including in the old budget. Also gas is ridiculously expensive in Europe, but I think that’s more commonly known. We pulled over into some weird industrial space and I had my first lesson (of this decade) on how to drive stick. It was pretty easy but there weren’t any other cars around and I think that made a prettttty big difference. I can tell you this much, I didn’t like it. I don’t why you’d choose to make driving more complicated, but that’s just me (being logical).

We arrived home and collapsed in a heap of exhaustion. It was a lot of driving. Again, sorry G. But also totally worth it. (So, also you’re welcome.)

Covadonga & El Mirador del Fitu

October 25, 2016July 5, 20202 Comments

I arrived in Spain the day before orientation, but two weeks before work actually began. I knew I wanted to fit in a trip or two, but wasn’t exactly sure where to go. South of France? Stay in Spain? I also didn’t want to miss much of San Mateo, or any job interviews, and it seemed like everyone was going out every night in a desperate bid to avoid being friendless and alone.

I mapped out a trip to Asturias that would have lasted about three days, but we cut it down to two days, one night to avoid leaving Brady for too long/being away from all the action in Logroño. This worked fine, but was a LOT of driving. I basically lied to Gareth about the length of every leg of the trip, mostly because my brain refused to accept the fact that driving many miles/kilometers amounts to many hours in the car. Sorry Gareth. You can look below and see the actual estimates. Oops.

We rented a car in Logroño and drove to the Ikea in Bilbao first. I needed some things to set up my room–a mattress pad (fun fact, my bed is actually two twin mattresses of DIFFERENT HEIGHTS pushed together, which is even less comfortable than it sounds), a desk, a mirror, and some plants, obvs. My room is now amazing.

From Bilbao we headed to Asturias, first to the Mirador del Fitu. This was up some windy mountain roads, and I was 99% convinced I was getting us nowhere but lost until we finally arrived at a parking lot. The view from below the stairs was impressive enough, and once we climbed up, we were looking at one of the best views I’ve ever seen. We hung around soaking it in for a while before heading down to start the journey to the Covadonga lakes.

Note that if you’re following the same route, it’s fastest to continue driving the same direction you were going to get to the Mirador. We discovered this only after we had retraced our path down the mountain and got GPS signal back. We had to turn around and head back up which added like 20 minutes to the total driving time and did nothing to help my car sickness.

Also note that the drive up to the Covadonga Lakes is sketchy as hell. You are on the outside of a mountain road the whole way, and the drop offs are ridiculous. It was terrifying, especially with a Brit driving whose natural instincts were to do everything backwards. But, if you can get up there without dying, it’s so worth it. There’s free parking, the views were gorgeous, and you’re right in the mountains. There’s a lot to explore and a hike around the lake if you have time–we didn’t do the hike but still found enough to do to fill about an hour. It was pretty great and I highly recommend if you’re into lakes/mountains. Maybe find someone non-British to drive, though.

From the lakes we drove to Las Arenas, where we spent the night, getting ready to walk Ruta del Cares the next day!

SPAIN – ONE MONTH UPDATE

October 15, 2016July 5, 2020

A little over a month ago, I was racing around LA trying to finish a huge to-do list before the flight that would take me first to Zurich, and then on to Madrid. It is crazy to think it’s been a month, and I’m going to be super cliched and say it feels both much longer, and much shorter than that.

Before I came, I got a serious case of cold feet. I started doubting everything, and felt pretty crazy to leave a life I liked/had put in so much work into building. I tried to have realistic expectations, knowing when I first arrived I’d be homesick, that the language barrier would be a problem. I was prepared for it to take some time for me to feel settled.

But amazingly, it took almost no time at all. After a delayed flight and a road trip from Madrid to Logroño with a VERY tired Kristen behind the wheel, I arrived in Logroño at 1:30AM. I parked my car and dragged my suitcase to my apartment (because cars aren’t actually allowed on my street), and stepped into my new home for the first time.

my street

And guys, it was GOOD. My room was basic but pretty. The apartment was bigger than I was expecting, and my roommates were so nice and just as excited as I was to be here. And the city? It was still lit up and beautiful at 1:30 in the morning, and I instantly felt so sure I had made the right decision coming here–a feeling that has never once wavered.

first time getting pinchos

Gareth came to visit about 5 days after I got here, and we did some pretty cool things. Something so incredible is that we are now in (nearly) the same time zone! That one small detail has changed everything. I can call him when I wake up on my way to work, we can talk at lunch, and before bed. In LA there was a cut off from 2:00pm until maybe 11:00 or midnight where we just couldn’t talk, and that is like half the day! It sucked! Also we are going to see each other basically every two weeks from now until January 8th. What will we even DO with such regularity? Probably get very sick of each other!

My first week here was San Mateo, which is one of the two biggest festivals in La Rioja, the region that Logroño is in. It was really fun, and a great introduction to the city. The highlight was seeing Morat play Cómo Te Atreves. In typical Spanish style they didn’t go on until about 1 am.

There was also a marching band that went by my window hourly for the entire week, which started out as cool and then got dramatically less so as time went on. Now that San Mateo is over, there is a guy who plays gorgeous classical music every night, and it fills the apartment and is SO LOVELY.

I can’t begin to explain how much I love Logroño, and how lucky I feel to have been placed here. Originally, I wanted Madrid so badly I didn’t even tell anyone I had applied to move to Spain, but to Madrid. That was all I could picture. And now, I wouldn’t trade Logroño for anything. It’s small and cheap (my rent is 180 euros a month, for real), it’s not touristy at all, it’s beautiful, it has amazing food/wine, it’s close to all the major northern cities, and the people are so so so nice. There’s a belief that the people in the north are cold, and I don’t know if I’m just not far enough north, or if the stereotype is just completely wrong, but the people here are insanely nice. They never get annoyed with my terrible Spanish. Every family I’ve met for private lessons has told me if I ever need anything, to come to them–and they actually mean it. If I need a ride somewhere, help figuring out how to buy a bus pass, recommendations on the best bodegas, etc–they are so happy to help. I think my Spanish is improving so much because I have no worries about speaking it, even though it’s bad. There is zero judgment, so I feel fine to say or ask whatever I need, sometimes again and again haha, until they understand me.

I’m taking Spanish lessons four times a week, for five hours total. And my Spanish really is already improving. This month there is a pop up book fair in the park next to my apartment (can I say again how much I love Logroño), and I bought The Little Prince and have been (slowly) reading it. My Spanish is still terrible but for the first time in my life I have hope that I might not be incapable of learning, that maybe by the time I’m done here, I’ll actually be good–or at least somewhere close to good.

For work, I have two jobs, both teaching English. One is at an elementary school, and one is doing private lessons after school’s out. I love the private lessons. They are exhausting, but the kid/s really pay attention and learn, and all my private students are super nice/cute/funny and I love hanging out with them. Plus I get to practice my Spanish with their parents, the super nice people mentioned above. I interviewed at multiple academies and quickly realized finding work in either an academy or through privates lessons would be super easy in Logroño. So I went for the higher paying option, and though it’s only been three weeks, I get the impression it’s a bit more secure than I originally thought. No one has canceled yet.

My school is a bit tougher. I’m supposed to be a language and culture assistant, and because I’m not meant to be teaching alone, no experience or training is required/provided. However, my school (breaks the rules and) puts me in my own classroom with the younger kids, which is REALLY hard, especially on the first day. The kids don’t know who I am. They don’t know enough/any English–and I don’t know enough Spanish–to accomplish ANYTHING, so mostly they run wild while I try not to let them hurt each other. It’s not great but week two has definitely been better than week one, so hopefully as I learn more/they get to know me better, it will keep improving. The teacher for grades 4-6 stays with me like she’s supposed to, and I love those classes because the kids understand me. Plus the entire school treats me like a celebrity–when I walk down the hall every student runs up and says hello and tries to talk to me. It’s pretty cute.

I do miss things from home. Mostly people. Katie. And Mexican food. There’s one Mexican food place in Logroño and guacamole is twice as expensive as a burrito… you can imagine the size of the burrito. I miss my pilates studio and the beach. But I still plan on going back to California eventually, and until then, Logroño is a perfect place to be.

Until next time, or as literally every single person in Logroño says, ‘sta luego!

San Sebastian

October 4, 2016September 1, 2020

At the end of September one of my roommates and another girl we’ve become friends with took a weekend trip to San Sebastian. We had a fantastic time – we took a short hike along El Camino del Norte, swam in one of the best beaches, ate delicious food, and went up the funicular that overlooks the iconic U shape beach.

El Camino Del norte

I actually just found out this was along the camino and not just a cute hike in San Sebastian when looking up details for this post! We went from San Sebastian to Pasajes de San Juan, which took about two and a half hours. It starts next to the pumping station at the beginning of Avenue Navarre – just follow the stairs up. I used this website for logistics/directions.

The walk was far more gorgeous than my iphone photos can do justice, but it was lovely and ended in the cutest little fishing village. Once in town, head to street Juan XXIII, where you can catch a bus every 20 minutes back to San Sebastian.

San sebastian

San Sebastian was great. The beach was amazing, the water warm, the food delicious and the view gorgeous. I highly recommend spending some time here if you get the chance!

The Plan

August 29, 2016July 5, 2020

So to recap, I’m moving to Spain! Very exciting.

But what will I actually be doing in Spain? Great question! I’ve been placed in an elementary school in the city where I’ll be living (Logroño). This is pretty great, because some people have to commute an hour each way to get to/from their schools, or chose to live in a tiny pueblo. I seriously lucked out with my placement, and am pretty relieved I’m not leaving the traffic of LA to move across the world to an even worse commute!

How it works:

For every region other than Madrid, you work 12 hours a week and get paid 700 euros a month (no, that’s not a typo, I am actually losing more that 75% of my monthly salary!). A huge perk is that because you’re only working 12 hours a week, it’s extremely common to have three day weekends, which does not sound too shabby to me. In Madrid, to combat the higher cost of living, they work 16 hours a week and get 1,000 euros a month. Per hour, this is pretty comparable to what other professional Spaniards make. For me, it’s something that results an anxiety attack if I think about it for too long.

That said, almost everyone supplements their income with private lessons or by working at a language academy.

Academies vs private lessons

There are pros and cons to both private lessons and language academies. Private lessons pay more per hour. The going rate in Logroño is 15 euros an hour for one person, 20 for two, and so on. These lessons can be easier to plan, and often just involve playing games with a kid, or having a conversation on a specific topic with an adult. You also have complete control over your schedule. Those awesome three day weekends? You can keep them by just not scheduling classes on Fridays! Have friends coming to visit? Tell your clients you’re unavailable for a week. There’s tons of flexibility. The downside is there is pretty much no security. People can cancel on you at any time, or decide to stop taking lessons, and suddenly your paycheck is tiny again with no notice. Another less than ideal aspect is travel time. If a lesson is a 20 minute walk from your apartment, you’re actually getting 15 euros for an hour and forty minute time commitment. That sounds a lot less appealing than 15 euros an hour.

Language academies are much more of a commitment. In general you’re teaching larger groups, often full classes of people. This usually means more lesson planning, though some academies will do this for you. You get paid less than 15 an hour, but you work a lot more hours, so in general you’ll make much more working at an academy than just by private lessons. You don’t have to worry about someone flaking and not getting paid, because it’s an entire class. A few people can bail, you still get paid. The only real downsides are the lower rate per hour and lack of flexibility.

Also since you technically don’t have a work visa (it’s weird and complicated but we’re technically there on a scholarship and a student visa), working at all is illegal and you’ll have to be paid under the table. Everyone does it, but I guess it is a risk to be aware of.

All that said, I’d LOVE to get a job at an academy, because a steady paycheck is something I’ve really grown to love in my years spent living like I’m some sort of adult.

I have a few interviews set up for when I first arrive, and I’m REALLY hoping one of them works out, cause I’m gonna need some extra money to afford all the traveling I hope to do.

logroño

Calle Laurel, the heart of Logroño and less than a block away from my piso! Source

I already found an apartment by breaking the cardinal rule of international moves–I said yes without seeing the place in person. That said my research was thorough, I spoke to THREE former tenants (who all lived there different years), and spoke to the landlord more than once to make sure she wasn’t a psycho (she isn’t). Mostly I did this because I’m showing up with Brady and finding an apartment that allows pets was looking like a real nightmare. I checked other cities in Spain and they all seem a lot more happy to have animals, but people in Logroño just does not seem into it. My options were crazy limited, I couldn’t find an affordable/pet friendly hostel/hotel/airbnb to crash at while I looked, and this place seemed pretty great, honestly. I would have been super interested even without the pet friendly pressure I was under. It’s right in the center of Casco Antiguo, or the old quarter of the city. It has big, floor to ceiling windows, and is walking distance to pretty much everywhere. Also the landlord was fine with Brady. Sign me up!

I found roommates already too, one was here in LA and just graduated from UCLA. We’ve had coffee and she seems really nice and really clean, which is great. A girl from New England is taking the last bedroom, which is great cause maybe I can get her to care about the Patriots with me!

Having an apartment means that when I arrive in a few weeks, I’ll have a place to go right away. I can get settled in from the start, get to know my neighborhood, and focus on other stressful things, like opening a bank account, getting my foreigner identification card, and figuring out health insurance! Also San Mateo* will start a few days after I get there, so I think I’ll have a lot of Rioja wine sampling to do.

In the meantime I have a million things to do before I go. Mainly sell my car. Also figure out what I’m doing with all my possessions I’m not planning on taking to Spain. And finish Brady’s pet passport. And change all my addresses and tell all my banks. There’s a lot. That said, I got an international driving permit on Saturday. Now I just have to learn to drive stick…

I’ll post about the progress, and how I got my visa and the steps I’m taking to get Brady his. And in 15 days time, I’ll be writing to you from Logroño.

*I am fairly certain that video takes place on my future street. RIGHT in the middle of everything, which is great because I’m naturally lazy and don’t really go to social events that take much effort. I can probably swing this.

Big News

August 28, 2016July 5, 2020

I have a big announcement. It’s one that’s been SO HARD to keep quiet, but that I’ve been waiting to write until about it was finally, officially real. Ready?

I’m moving to Spain in exactly 16 days.

Crazy.

I applied back in February, and did so without much thought. No one was sure it was a real thing. I wasn’t sure it was a real thing. And yet here we are.

As much as I love Los Angeles, and my friends, and my career, I never meant to settle down and stay. Not yet. There are about 195 other countries I want to see first, and some languages I’d like to learn, and a few other things that are pretty important for me to feel like I’m living the best life I can.

So on a whim I decided to make a move. It’s kind of crazy how little thought I put into it. A few friends were teaching in Vietnam, so I decided to do that. I told one of my closest friends, just to see how it felt to say it out loud, and she told me I was insane and if I was moving anywhere, it shouldn’t be farther away from Gareth. I think it was even her who suggested Spain. She is a very wise woman.

Spain meant Gareth was a two hour plane ride away. Two hours. Right now, if I’m lucky enough to find a direct flight, it’s still around twelve. I could fly on a budget airline and be in London, or any other European city, for about $100 return. Can you imagine?

Then I found the ministry’s Auxiliares de Conversación program. I’d looked into teaching in Spain back in college, when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the gap year between school and work I had so planned on taking. I had only heard of CIEE, which charges a few thousand dollars to do the same exact thing as the ministry. (Ministry is free.) I filled out my application that day. I had to wait a bit for things like my transcript and letter of recommendation, but I think the time from first hearing about it until completed application was about six days. I was ready.

I’m going to make a post with the timeline, but my readiness meant nothing, and what I actually did was wait around for a few months before hearing anything. Not exactly easy, cause patience is hard, but finally I found out I’d been placed in La Rioja, and then a few weeks later that my school was in Logroño, the capital of the region.

You guys, Logroño sounds amazing. I’m sure you’ve heard of Rioja wine–this is where it’s from. There are dozens of wineries in the region, and twice a year they have big wine festivals. San Mateo, the wine harvest festival, is in September. There are fireworks and parades every day, and fountains of wine, and possibly a giant food fight? Not sure but am very excited to find out.

And then in June, there is San Pedro, a wine battle (Batalla del Vino). Which is just what it sounds like. You wear all white and fill up water guns and have a wine war. A WINE WAR.

source

Logroño was also named the gastronomic capital of Spain a few years back, and the food is meant to be delicious. It’s not a touristy city, so it’s crazy cheap (like under $200 in rent) and English isn’t nearly as prevalent as in Madrid or Barcelona. It’s also gorgeous and right in the middle of northern Spain, which is overlooked for reasons I don’t understand. I’ll show you soon, but it’s beautiful up there.

I’ll be teaching English for 12 hours a week at an elementary school, and should have Fridays off to travel. I’m going to try to take Spanish lessons 3-4 times a week, because half the purpose of this trip is to get conversational/fluent. I’m definitely going to look for work doing private lessons to help beef up my (teeny, tiny) paycheck, but will hopefully be traveling at least once every few weeks to meet Gareth in whatever city sounds good that month. Basically, life is about to get PRETTY GREAT.

For now I’m in LA. And that’s wonderful because I really do love LA. It’s gorgeous, we all know the weather is perfect, the food is delicious, and everyone here has a dream and ambition and passion, which is a pretty cool community to belong to. Will I come back? I hope so. I think. I’m not totally sure what comes next after this–hopefully spending some time seeing parts of the world with Gareth. Regardless, right now it feels like anything is possible. Which is kind of the best feeling I can imagine. I’m so excited for the future, and though I’ve had my doubts (believe me), I feel really ready for this.

Also just to be clear, Brady? He’s coming with me.

Spain, here we come!

VEGAS

July 29, 2016July 21, 2020

I finally went to Vegas! I have a terrible habit of never traveling to places nearby because I’m always sure I’ll get around to them eventually, and then eventually never comes and I end up leaving Boston without doing a proper trip to NYC, or the UK without seeing anywhere but London and Gareth’s town in Cornwall. But I did see Iceland, Istanbul, and Morocco!

Vegas was one of those places. Close enough I never felt any urgency to go, and also not really my scene. I’m not a gambler, I don’t love clubbing or going to very fancy places. I was always happy to miss it but knew I’d regret not going if my friends went without me. Which they almost did!

This time was the perfect time though, I still can’t believe how inexpensive it was. My friend started working for Vice relatively recently, and she was sent to cover Kesha’s tour kickoff in Vegas. And to be clear, we love Kesha. She hasn’t been able to perform or do new music in a while, and it’s horrifying and so sad that her career is slowly dying while she holds onto any shred of dignity and self worth. But anyway! We were going to Vegas!

We got a free room and oh my god was it nice. Definitely the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed at, and apparently Selena agrees! When we arrived it was around 110* and it was a nightmare. Not as bad as Morocco, but still pretty debilitating. Luckily, literally everywhere is air conditioned in Vegas, and not the kind that makes a dent but doesn’t stop the heat. I was cold as often as I was hot.

We went to the pools for a bit earlier in the day, though it was almost too hot to be outside, even in a pool. Eventually we gave up and went to dinner, and had the best buffet you can imagine. I didn’t know Vegas was also known for its food/buffets, or I might have made it a priority to come earlier. We stayed for a few hours and had I think four courses each, making sure to really get our money’s worth. We also had unlimited wine/beer, so we had a few drinks as well.

From there we headed to the Cosmopolitan Casino, where I lost $25 and Katie won $100. Ugh. We also got free drinks while gambling, which was very on theme. We arrived at the Kesha show and were given free drink passes, because we were with the ~press. Which was GREAT because a WATER BOTTLE was $10, I kid you not. So, I was forced, against my will, to drink more!

Kesha did Tik Tok, We R Who We R, Timber, and Your Love is My Drug, which was a favorite back in the day. She was great, though gone too soon. Maybe a good thing though, cause we were let into a roped off area that apparently a group of people had bought, and those girls were PISSED. Like, calm down.

Then I called Gareth and had an emotional heart to heart about how much long distance sucks. Because it does you guys, it really, really does. It also might have been fueled by some of the free alcohol I was forced to drink? But probably not. Anyway, that devolved into me listing all the reasons why we’re the best in the entire world, which is one of my favorite things to do when drunk. But also? We are the best in the entire world!

Then it was suddenly 4:00 am and all the bars were closed, so we went back to the room, watched New Adventures of the Old Christine, had a long, in depth conversation about the wonder that is Julia Louis-Dreyfus (but HONESTLY, she is amazing. Watch Veep, watch it now).

We woke up and things were looking pretty bleak, hangover wise, until my friend mentioned a secret, beautiful, lifesaving cure. Dramamine! Honestly, I’ve never felt so sick and then so fine before in my life. And thank god, cause the drive home took around nine hours including our breakfast stop and our stop at the Hoover Dam, which was a sight to behold but also potentially life threatening in the heat. Or so it felt. They had “cool down stations” that were just giant fans that you could walk up to–I honestly don’t know how locals live in that heat, but I certainly couldn’t do it.

It was the perfect way to do Vegas. The hotel was nice and very free. All my drinks were free. I spent $40 gambling, saw a concert for $25 and other than dinner and breakfast, didn’t pay for anything else. I don’t know that I’d ever want to go for two nights in a row–it doesn’t feel like you’re doing Vegas right unless you go out and dance and drink, but I am past the point of being able to manage that multiple nights in a row. I could barely handle it then. Kesha didn’t come on until 1:30 and I was SO proud for making it!

(source for feature photo)

The World Wide Open

Tag: travel